October 28, 2026
(New York – Oct. 27, 2026) With Election Day less than a week away, audiences continue to turn to MS NOW for in-depth reporting, analysis, and perspective. In October, MS NOW delivered a 16% year-over-year increase among total viewers and a 38% increase among the Adult 25-54 demo in total day, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel ratings. Plus, MS NOW delivered its eleventh consecutive month of year-over-year viewership growth across its programming lineup in October.
According to MRI-Simmons, MS NOW reaches more than 38 million Americans across its linear and digital platforms.
In weekday primetime, MS NOW averaged 1.2 million total viewers and 117,000 demo viewers in October, up 15% among total viewers and 30% in the demo compared to October 2025. During weekday live programming (Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to midnight), MS NOW averaged 807,000 total viewers and 82,000 demo viewers, with year-over-year increases of 19% and 37%, respectively.
In the month leading to Election Day, MS NOW outpaced CNN in the top market in each of the highly watched Battleground States: Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, and New Hampshire. MS NOW ranked as the #1 most-watched cable network in total day and #1 most-watched cable news network in weekday primetime in Washington, D.C. for October.
MS NOW Averages 1.2 Million Total Viewers in Primetime; ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ Ranks #1 Across Both Demos in Timeslot
MS NOW averaged 1.2 million total viewers and 117,000 demo viewers in October in weekday primetime, up 15% among total viewers and 30% in the demo compared to October 2025.
“The Rachel Maddow Show” averaged 1.7 million total viewers and 184,000 demo viewers in October, ranking #1 among cable news in its timeslot across both demos for the second straight month.
Plus, “Deadline: White House,” “The Beat with Ari Melber,” “The Weeknight,” and “The 11th Hour with Ali Velshi” each topped CNN among both total and demo viewers in October.
“Morning Joe” and “Way Too Early with Ali Vitali” Continue to Outpace CNN Across Both Demos; “Morning Joe” Remains #1 in Washington, D.C.
“Morning Joe” continued its strong 2026 performance in October, up 24% among total viewers and 44% in the demo. “Morning Joe” more than doubled CNN among total viewers and topped the network in the demo. In October, "Morning Joe" remained the #1 cable morning program in Washington, D.C.
More viewers start their day with "Morning Joe" than any other cable program in October.
“Way Too Early with Ali Vitali” also more than doubled CNN among total viewers and topped CNN in the demo, increasing its viewership by double-digits among total viewers and the demo from October 2025.
“Money, Power, Politics with Stephanie Ruhle” continued to grow its viewership across both demos since launch, up double-digits among total and demo viewers compared to the same month last year. “Money, Power, Politics” continued to outperform CNN in total viewers and notched its first monthly win in the demo over CNN since launching this summer.
MS NOW’s New Dayside Lineup Delivers Double-Digit, Year-Over-Year Growth Among Total and Demo Viewers in October; Tops CNN Among Total Viewers Across Every Dayside Hour
MS NOW’s dayside programming delivered significant year-over-year increases throughout October, up 26% among total viewers and 49% among the demo compared to October of 2025.
MS NOW topped CNN among total viewers across every hour of dayside programming in October.
Plus, MS NOW marked five consecutive months leading CNN among total viewers, accounting for every month since MS NOW unveiled its new programming lineup of “State of Play with Peter Alexander,” “On the Line with Alicia Menendez,” and “The Moment with Katy Tur.”
MS NOW’s Weekend Programming Notches First Demo Win Over CNN Since 2012, Posts Double-Digit, Year-Over-Year Growth Among Total and Demo Viewers
In October, MS NOW topped CNN in the demo during weekend live programming (7 a.m.-6 p.m. ET) for the first time in 14 years, since November 2012. MS NOW recorded 50,000 demo viewers, while CNN recorded 48,000 demo viewers. In the demo, MS NOW was the only cable news network with growth versus the same month last year in live weekend programming, up 43% versus Oct. 2025.
MS NOW averaged 447,000 total viewers during weekend live programming (7 a.m.-6 p.m. ET), topping CNN’s 397,000 total viewers, and marking MS NOW’s second straight monthly win over CNN in the daypart.
“The Weekend” and “Connect with Jacob Soboroff” topped CNN in both total and demo viewers. Plus, in its first full month on the air, “The Assignment with Antonia Hylton” led CNN among total viewers.
Ranks as #1 News Organization on YouTube in October; Continues to Record More YouTube Views Than ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News Combined
MS NOW continues to lead the pack as one of the most watched and most influential news organizations on non-linear platforms, recording over 4.5 billion combined views across YouTube and TikTok so far this year.
Year-to-date, MS NOW has recorded 3.1 billion YouTube views and more than ABC News (1.1 billion), CBS News (478 million), and NBC News (943 million) combined. MS NOW’s YouTube viewership in October was up 25% versus the same time last year.
MS NOW’s most-viewed YouTube videos in October include: Jen Psaki’s reaction to Katie Zacharia's first day as White House Press Secretary; Lawrence O’Donnell’s take on President Trump’s Iran War remarks; Alicia Menendez’s breaking news coverage that Katie Zacharia was leaving the White House Press Secretary role after five days; Rachel Maddow’s remarks on President Trump’s midterms campaign schedule; and Jen Psaki’s reaction to President Trump’s interview with TIME Magazine.
MS NOW’s top TikTok videos in October include: Rachel Maddow on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ climate policy; Joe Scarborough’s reaction to JD Vance’s remarks on the Ramaswamy ad; Alex Tabet’s on-the-ground reporting with Trump voters in Michigan; Stephanie Ruhle’s reaction to Katie Zacharia’s first day as White House Press Secretary; “The Weeknight” anchors on President Trump’s social media posts.
MS NOW users continue to spend more time on ms.now than on The Washington Post, NPR, Politico, The Atlantic, and Axios, and reaches more unique visitors than The Atlantic, Politico, and Axios.
Year-to-date, consumers continue to spend more time on ms.now than any other political news site, ranking #1 in 2026. Article page views are also up 36% year-over-year, driven in part by the expansion of MS NOW’s original reporting.
In October, the most-read pieces on ms.now include: Michael Steele’s op-ed on JD Vance’s remarks to a Catholic nun; Zeeshan Aleem on the letters accompanying President Trump’s ACA refund checks; Lisa Rubin’s write-up on House Judiciary Democrats releasing a 50-page report on Trump’s alleged involvement in the Epstein files; and Anthony L. Fisher’s op-ed on No Kings weekend.
The network launched the MS NOW Membership in September, its first-ever direct-to-consumer product, creating two-way conversation between Members and MS NOW’s journalists. The MS NOW Membership is available now in the App Store, on Google Play, and online at ms.now/membership.
MS NOW Records More Than 113 Million Audio Downloads Year-to-Date; ‘Morning Joe’ Ranks as #1 Podcast for October
MS NOW generated more than 10 million total audio downloads in October. Year to date, MS NOW has also recorded more than 113 million audio downloads, up 4% year-over-year.
“Morning Joe” was MS NOW’s most-downloaded podcast for the month with 2 million downloads, up 57% year-over-year.
Source: Nielsen, Big Data + Panel, Live+SD, Persons 2+ and Adults 25-54. Total Day = M-Su 6 a.m. to 6 a.m.; Live Programming = M-F 5 a.m.- 12 a.m.; Primetime = M-F 8 p.m.-11 p.m. October 2026: [9/28/26-10/25/26]. Time period wins based on regularly scheduled programming. ‘Start of day’ claim based on M-F 6:00 a.m.-6:15 a.m. average. LPM = Washington, D.C., M-F 6 a.m.-9 a.m., M-F 8 p.m.-11p.m. Battleground state point based on MS NOW and CNN Total Day performance in the largest Nielsen market in the state; Texas = Dallas-Fort Worth; Georgia = Atlanta; Michigan = Detroit; Ohio = Cleveland-Akron; North Carolina = Charlotte; New Hampshire = Boston. Program average vs. October 2025 program average. Reach = MRI-Simmons, Spring 2026 USA Survey, # of unique viewers, television networks watched in the past 7 days, websites or apps used in the last 30 days.
Digital Source: YouTube data based on YouTube Studio Analytics, October 1 – October 27, 2026. YouTube video views. Competitor data from ListenFirst. TikTok data based on ListenFirst, October 1 – October 27, 2026. TikTok video views. Audio data based on Simplecast Analytics, January 1 – October 26, 2026. Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Desktop, Mobile, and Social, Total Minutes, Unique Visitors, January-September 2026, United States, News/Information – Politics and Custom competitive set (AXIOS.com, NPR, Politico, The Atlantic, WASHINGTONPOST.COM)
